Tha Last Meal

It’s been seven years since Doggystyle introduced us to Snoop’s chronic-puffing, gin-and-juice-sipping, lady-slaying G-funk—and blew the doors off hip-hop in the process. But on his three albums since, Snoop has sounded like one mixed-up puppy, unsure whether to growl, howl, or just roll over and play dead. He finally gets his game back on Tha Last Meal, his third effort for Master P’s No Limit Records after an ugly split from Death Row Records. Fortunately P has quit trying to mold Snoop into another No Limit foot soldier—a move that had been squeezing the fun right out of him—and instead has taken off the leash and let the Doggfather do his thang. Dr. Dre makes a welcome return to the producer’s chair for the opener, “Hennesey N Buddah,” giving Snoop’s smooth rhymes a creeping funk groove to slide around on. But while Snoop’s laid-back flow hasn’t changed much, the view from his Dogghouse has. On “Issues,” “Loosen’ Control,” and “I Can’t Swim,” he comes across as remarkably grown-up, burying the hatchet with old enemies, admitting to heartbreak, and just plain wising up, all while indulging his jones for classic soul and R&B. Thankfully, he’s lost neither his bark nor his bite as he’s evolved. Guess you can teach an old Dogg some new tricks.